Novartis Announces Staff Reductions at Oral Solid-Dose Plant

By Akia Thorpe -

February 14, 2018

Novartis is planning 65 staff reductions at its oral solid-dosage manufacturing facility in Broomfield, Colorado. In October 2017, Novartis announced plans to close the facility, which is owned by its generics arm, Sandoz.

The company reported the changes in a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) filing with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. A WARN notice is a federal requirement that provides notification of job reductions to various parties, including the appropriate unit of local government.

In October 2017, Novartis said approximately 450 jobs would be affected as a result of the closure. The move results from Sandoz’s plan to stop production of some generic drugs due to double-digit price erosion in the US market. The closure of the facility and transfer of products made at the facility will extend over an approximate two-year period, said Novartis in its October 2017 announcement. The last phase is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019. Novartis said at the time of the announcement it will consolidate the production of drug products to a plant in Wilson, North Carolina.